I woke up late Wednesday morning, picked up my BlackBerry, and headed immediately for Twitter.

Just hours after landing in Newark International Airport, I was already going through AAU live recruiting period withdrawal. I had to read the reporters’ tweets on the goings-on at the AAU Nationals.

My first visit to central Florida was wildly successful. I made plenty of contacts with AAU and college coaches, personally met two of my favorite head coaches, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Rutgers’ Mike Rice. The event is run extremely well and on time, updated schedules are handed out every hour, and there are 12 courts at your fingertips at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports.

And, last but not least, the air conditioning. Oh, what air conditioning. That might’ve been my favorite part of the trip. It was 100 degrees outside, yet I hardly broke a sweat.

The basketball was played at a high level; three New York City-area clubs reached the Gold division quarterfinals, and two of them – Team Next and Long Island Lightning – held leads late before falling short. Many kids raised their stock. Below are a few of notes I would like to point out that I didn’t get to.

— Chris Ortiz is going to help Lincoln. The 6-foot-7 forward showed a soft touch around the basket, ability to play on the perimeter, and that he is rugged rebounder in helping the Westchester Hawks reach the Gold division quarterfinals. He wasn’t the only Railsplitter forward to impress; Kamari Murphy led the Lightning to the Gold quarters as well, and displayed a perimeter shot that was previously missing. He still needs to get stronger, but the 6-foot-8 rising senior has plenty of time, since he is only 16 years of age and plans to go to prep school after his senior year.

— Tony Hargraves and Co. are doing big things with the Riverdale Hawks. What the program lacks in superstar talent, it makes up for in cohesiveness and unselfish play. The 17U club, coached by Jesse Shapiro, reached the Silver division Copper semifinals while Hargraves’ 16U team lost in the semifinals. They also reached the Round of 16 in the AAU Nationals.

— Jevon Thomas is the best New York City point guard right now. The 6-foot Jamaica, Queens native, who is headed to St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey, already has offers from St. John’s and Villanova, but there will be plenty more on the way, several coaches told me. The prototypical point is a one-man fast break, but he has expanded his game offensively and can get wherever he wants on the floor. It’s a shame Thomas will be taking that breathtaking ability to New Jersey. He’s one reason the Gauchos backcourt – with Omar Calhoun at the two – may be one of the best in the country next year.

— Speaking of Calhoun, Christ the King’s 6-foot-4 shooting guard, he didn’t shine quite as he did at Nike Peach Jam earlier in the month. He looked sluggish at times and his jumper wasn’t falling. That didn’t stop several head coaches – such as Florida’s Billy Donovan and Villanova’s Jay Wright – from keeping a close eye on the rising junior.

— Team Next is my favorite AAU team to watch. It’s 32 minutes of fast breaks. While the shot clock rarely comes into play during these tournaments, Michael Moore’s club, led by Half Hollows Hills West point guard Tavon Sledge and Bronx native Achraf Yacoubou, a Villanova recruit, takes that to the next extreme. They lack size and depth, yet made it all the way to the Gold division quarterfinals, where Moore’s kids fell to Team Takeover from Washington, D.C., the Nike Peach Jam champions.

— I can see why new schools keep on popping up on Kadeem Jack’s list. He has added muscle to his 6-foot-9 frame, you can see the maturating in his offensive game – particularly his jump shot – and his mobility is better than it was during the high-school season. That being said, he still lacks much of a back-to-the-basket game. By this time next year, after a season at South Kent (Conn.), the former Rice standout will be flat-out scary.